The EIMS fragmentation mechanisms of the sesquiterpenes corvol ethers A and B, epi-cubebol and isodauc-8-en-11-ol

Abstract

Farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) and all fifteen positional isomers of (13C1)FPP were enzymatically converted by the bacterial terpene cyclases corvol ether synthase from Kitasatospora setae, the epi-cubebol synthase from Streptosporangium roseum, and the isodauc-8-en-11-ol synthase from Streptomyces venezuelae. The enzyme products were analysed by GC–MS and GC–QTOF MS2 and the obtained data were used to delineate the EIMS fragmentation mechanisms of the two sesquiterpene ethers corvol ethers A and B, and the sesquiterpene alcohols epi-cubebol and isodauc-8-en-11-ol.

Keywords

• bacteria
• isotopic labelling
• mass spectrometry
• reaction mechanisms
• terpenes